Spokesman Ari Fleischer compares President Bush's attempt to balance all the competing interests in the steel tariff debate with solving a Rubik's Cube.
He flatters the president; pandering to special interests whose views contain the seeds of their own destruction takes no intellect at all.
The president imposed a series of "split-the-difference" tariffs on foreign steel, designed entirely and without plausible deniability to buy votes in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and other steelmaking states.
For example, there will be a nice tariff on tin-steel used for food cans. Much of the nation's supply is produced by nearby Weirton Steel.
"Splitting the difference" is a sure sign that the president has given up on principle, adopting a brainless effort to coddle Big Steel just enough and injure everyone else as little as possible so the net is a political plus. That's what the "Rubik's Cube" reference is really about, settling on a corrupt equation.
Big Steel and Big Labor wanted tariffs up to 40 percent. He's giving them 8 percent to 30 percent - the highest on flat-rolled products - and only a three-year window to rebuild the industry because World Trade Organization rules would clearly require payment of compensation in the fourth year.
Tariffs will cost jobs in steel-using industries, increase prices for consumers, invite retaliation from our trading partners, underscore high wages and delay the painful restructuring of the integrated steel industry that already is falling prey to cheaper product from domestic mini-mills.
There is an oversupply of steel worldwide. Yet LTV was back in the fray in anticipation of the tariffs with as many as 4 million "protected" tons annually.
Big Steel's and Big Labor's death wish has been granted. When they come back again for more help, as surely they will, will the government again prolong the convulsions?
